Man Utd sacked Jose Mourinho in December 2018. (Image: Getty)
Scott McTominay has revealed he struggled to hold back the tears when Manchester United sacked Jose Mourinho in December 2018. McTominay and Mourinho shared a special bond at Old Trafford after the Portuguese coach oversaw his transition from an academy hopeful to a first-team player.
The pair's relationship has been well-documented during their time together at United and across the six years since they parted ways.
Mourinho emphasised how highly he rated McTominay when he made up his own award - using a candlestick found at Old Trafford - to hand the then-youngster after the 2017/18 season.
McTominay appeared 31 times under Mourinho before his sacking and later became a staple of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's United side alongside Fred.
The 27-year-old has made 252 appearances for his boyhood club since debuting in May 2017, also playing an important role for Erik ten Hag after Solskjaer's exit.
Mourinho gave him his first opportunity, and he has expressed his admiration for the 61-year-old ahead of representing Scotland at EURO 2024.
"When he left, I was in his office, borderline in tears. I didn't want him to leave. I felt like he could trust me and the other way," McTominay told the Mail.
"But that's football. The game changes very quickly. What he's done over his career speaks for itself, and I wish him the very best.
Scott McTominay was one of Jose Mourinho's favourites. (Image: Getty)
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"He's been amazing with me. He texts me to see how I'm doing. A great man who I have all the respect for in the world. Jose means a lot to me.
"Anyone who gives you your senior debut is the guy you look to. He played me a lot, and I am very grateful for him."
Mourinho also hasn't held back his praise for McTominay in recent years, branding the United No. 39 a "special kid" and his "kid for life".
"The players that I most enjoyed [coaching] were the ones that gave me everything. Everything," Mourinho explained earlier this year.
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"And there are dozens and dozens and dozens, and maybe they aren't the most talented ones, just the ones that gave everything. The ones that I felt they couldn't give anything more than what they gave, these are my players.
"So I look to Raphael Varane [at Real Madrid] now at the end of his career, he is my kid.
"When I look to Scott McTominay, [Paul] Pogba on the bench, play Scott McTominay in Champions League against Sevilla, he is my boy.
"When I go club to club, I find my boys and they are always going to be my boys."
